


Only Time Can Tell

by holdyourbreathfornow, Moonknight1314



Category: jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Memory Loss, Violence, friends who are just friends, psychologist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-04-21 09:32:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14282025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holdyourbreathfornow/pseuds/holdyourbreathfornow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonknight1314/pseuds/Moonknight1314
Summary: Memory loss was nothing to be afraid of... At least, that's what Jack's psychiatrist had told him. But when Jack started to notice that he was losing hours of the day without any explanation; he knew something far more sinister was at work. Can Mark and Jack figure out what was happening before it was too late? Only time can tell.





	1. Chapter 1

“Thank you so much for watching this video. If you liked it, punch that like button in the face—LIKE A BOSS—and high-fives all-round. But thank you, guys and I will see all you dudes, in the next video!”

  
Jack stopped the camera from recording and started editing the footage. As he watched, he saw different responses he could not remember. There were small details that peeked his interest; subtle accent changes, flashes of light in the blue of his eyes, even small glitches with his camera.

  
As he neared the end of the editing—removing all glitches and correcting the mic recordings-- he removed his headphones and relieved his ears. When he had finally finished, he leaned back and examined his work.

  
Just before he saved all of his work, a glitchy notification appeared on his screen. He leaned forward. “’Are you ready?’ What does that mean?” He ran his hand through his brown hair and closed his eyes.

  
*****

  
Jack opened his eyes slowly, leaning forward and woke his computer.  _Wait, wake my computer? What time is it?_  He looked at the clock to his right and did a double-take. It was 5 o’clock; last Jack remembered was the notification appearing at 4.

  
"This is weird.” He said out-loud as he instinctively searched the room for changes.

  
He found none.

  
He turned back to the computer and saw that the internet was open to his account on YouTube. He cautiously refreshed the page and saw that his video was already published. As he watched, he realized that it was the untampered version; glitches and all.  
Jack left the room just as the end-card rolled.

  
Suddenly, Jack appeared on the screen. His hair was an electric green and there was a mischievous glint in his green eyes. He leaned in close to the screen and whispered. “I’m here.”

  
*****

  
Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and Jack’s memory was becoming more and more like Swiss Cheese. He would close his eyes for what felt like seconds to him, only to open his eyes and find that he had moved and had lost 20+ hours of his day.

  
Mild discontent changed to concern as he started to feel as if he were merely a visitor in his own mind and body. He was losing himself as the moments he could remember grew scarce.

  
"Come on, Jack, you can remember." He looked at his reflection and could barely recognize himself. His hair and eyes were wild-- one from being unkept, the other from lack of sanity. For all Jack knew, he had not showered in a month and hadn't seen the light of day in twice that time.

  
He looked at his eyes, searching for some form of life. He took a deep breath and felt a calm set in. "Pull yourself together. You can do this." He walked away from the mirror, completely oblivious to the fact that his reflection remained.

  
The reflection, though none menacing, had a certain air about it that screamed "don't trust me". He watched Jack leave out the corner of it's eye and smiled wickedly. "This is going to be _so_ fun."

   
*****

Jack walked into the living room to find Robin and Wiishu talking. As soon as he passed the door frame, a hush came over the room.

  
"Hey, guys." Jack said as he rubbed his eye. 

  
Robin looked at his friend curiously. "Hi, Jack." 

  
Wiishu stood up, not sure what to do. "Seán, what is happening to you?" 

  
Jack blinked a few times and decided to sit down. "I..." He looked at his hands, defeat plain on his face. "I can't remember." 

  
"Can't remember?" She took a seat beside him, trying to understand.

  
"It started a few months ago." Jack started telling them about the memory loss, the unexplainable messages (there had been several), even odd dreams. "I don't even remember why you two are here." 

  
There was a moment of silence while Wiishu and Robin tried to find ways to help Jack. Minute by minute, Jack started to feel more and more lost. 

  
Could they really help him?

  
Robin broke the silence. "There's really only one thing you can do." He looked at Wiishu for approval. 

  
She continued his thought. "You need to see a psychiatrist. I've heard that they can help bring back memories- even those that seem lost forever." Her green eyes shimmered with hope.

  
Jack looked at her eyes and felt his worry disappear. "Ok, I'll see a psychiatrist."

  
*****

Jack walked back to his computer, dread settling back into his heart and mind. The search for a psychiatrist lasted far longer than necessary- Jack became distracted while looking up the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist.

  
He finally got his priorities straight and entered "good psychiatrists." into the search engine. 

  
There was a glitch.

  
Then, there was a single result that popped up on his screen.

  
"Need a good Psychologist? Losing all memory and complete control of your body?" 

  
Jack stopped reading. "Psychologist... That was the right term, right?" After a moment, he shrugged and continued reading. 

  
"Well, Dr. Iplier (PhD) is here for you!" Jack wondered if he was any relation to his friend Mark. Intrigued, he opened the website to find that Dr. Iplier (PhD) had a single office in Los Angeles, California.

  
Without giving it a second thought, Jack booked a plane ticket for that afternoon and started packing. He had a long journey ahead of him.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Queenie here! I finally finished my chapter, so hope you enjoy!

Jack wished that whatever thing was affecting his memory would save him from the boredom of the flight to L.A.  Unfortunately, he sat awake for eight hours, drinking a fresh cup of horrible coffee whenever a flight attendant wandered by and staring at his reflection in the window.  Finally, the plane landed and Jack was among the first out, standing in the bright glare of the California sun and feeling just as cold as he had been back home.

 

“Where’s my cab?”  Jack muttered under his breath, tearing his gaze away from the blue sky above his head to the crowd moving around him like an ocean moves around a solid rock.  In the distance, a man with dark skin and curly black hair stood holding a sign in the air that said ‘McLaughing’. “Of course he spelled my name wrong, why am I not surprised?”  Grumbling tiredly under his breath, Jack popped his suitcase onto two wheels and walked towards the man, who sat his sign down by his feet and waved enthusiastically when Jack came up to him.  

 

“I’m Neal!  You must be Shane?”

 

“Sean.  But please call me Jack.”

 

“Alright, Jack!  You can put your stuff in the trunk and I’ll drive you to wherever you need to go.”

 

“The nearest hotel.”  Jack sighed and climbed in the back.  “Gotta get some shut-eye before I can go meet the crazy doctor.”

 

“Oh, I know who you’re talking about!”  Neal met Jack’s eyes in the rear-view mirror as he hopped into the front seat of the taxi and pulled out of the airport parking lot.  “Dr. Plier! I used to go to him, you know. Good man, good man.” Neal sighed and silence fell over the cab. When they finally pulled up to the hotel, Jack tipped Neal and was walking away when Neal leaned out the front window.

 

“Listen, Jack.  Dr. Plier’s a nice man but… He might tell you something you don’t want to hear.  You can’t let his diagnosis get you down.”

 

“Thanks…”  Jack hesitated to see if Neal would say anything else, but the cabbie rolled his window up and pulled away, leaving Jack standing on the sidewalk, staring after him.  “What was that about?” After a moment, Jack shrugged and turned towards the hotel. 

 

“‘Dr. Plier, Psychologist’.”  The building holding the doctor’s office was a low brownstone which seemed to glow warmly in the dying light of the setting sun.  There were several flower boxes with happy yellow daffodils and sunflowers, along with other kinds of flowers whose type Jack could only guess at.  His gaze flitted downward to the doormat he was standing on, which read “Steal from the neighbors. They have nicer stuff.” 

 

Finally, Jack decided he had procrastinated long enough and rang the doorbell.  Almost immediately, he was face-to-face with a man almost identical to Mark Fischbach, save for the fact he was wearing a black wife-beater and orange shades, also carrying an orange and white skateboard under his arm.  He blinked at Jack through the shades before he grinned wide and threw his arms around Jack in a hug, smacking Jack in the back of the head with the skateboard.

 

“Dude, where have you been?  God, bro, feels like forever since we hung out.”

 

“I… Don’t know you.”  Jack stammered, squirming in the Fischbach look-alike’s hold.  

 

“You’re not Chase?”  The bro pushed Jack away slightly and studied his face intently.  Then he grinned widely and laughed. “My mistake, dude! Well, go on in, I’m gonna just…”  The man didn’t say anything, instead throwing his skateboard down on the ground, climbing on, and pushing himself away from Jack, who stood watching him.

 

“Why do I meet all the weird people in LA?”  Jack muttered under his breath as he walked into the office.

 

“It’s because you’re in a new situation so your brain is hyper-focused on any details that are excessively odd!”  A booming voice caused Jack to startle and he spun, clutching one hand over his chest, to face yet another Mark look-alike, dressed in a black sweater and gray knit scarf, his brown eyes twinkling merrily at Jack as he carried a clipboard under one arm.  “I assume you’re Mr. McLoughlin?”

 

“That’s me.  And you’re Dr. Plier.”

 

“Indeed I am.  My office is just back here, if you wouldn’t mind?”  Jack shrugged, adopting an air of apathy and Dr. Plier grinned again, leading Jack through a door into a comfy room that featured two sleek black sofas facing each other with a nice view of LA out the side window which Jack could just glimpse through the slats of the blind.  “Take a seat, Sean.”

 

“Jack, please.”

 

“Alright, Jack!”  The doctor fairly threw himself into one of the sofas, so Jack slowly settled himself onto the other.  “Now when we spoke on the phone, you’d mentioned that you were experiencing blackouts? Long periods of time where you couldn’t remember where you’d been, what you’d done, any of those things?”

 

“Yes.”  Dr. Plier hummed at Jack’s answer and scratched his chin with the end of his pencil.  

 

“Hmm… Well… There is one thing I could try, but of course, we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

 

“I’m honestly open for anything at this point.”  Dr. Plier grinned and bounded up off of his sofa, rummaging around in the mess on top of his desk for a moment before returning with a bundle wrapped in a velvet cloth.

 

“Now… I understand that this may be unorthodox, but hypnosis has scientifically been proven to have a significant effect when it comes to alternating behaviors.”

 

“Uh… Hypnosis?”  Jack hunched his shoulders up around his ears but Dr. Plier grinned soothingly and unwrapped the velvet bundle to reveal a golden pocketwatch, obviously old but so well cared for that it looked brand new.  “You’re sure?”

 

“As easy as falling asleep.  Do you want to?”

 

“Do it.  I can handle it.”  With a quick nod, Dr. Plier lifted the watch by its chain and started it swinging with a push of his index finger.  

 

“Follow the watch with your eyes and listen to my voice.”  Jack obeyed and at first nothing seemed to be happening. “You are getting tired.  The room is warm and you’re laying in a comfortable bed.” And suddenly the office disappeared from view and he was falling… Falling… Falling...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked, let us know! Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Jack woke up with a start. Numbers swam through his eyes as his mind became overly fuzzy. He shook his head, the numbers slowly dissolving into the thin air.  
  
He looked around to find that he was no longer in the stuffy office. As he was sitting, he then realized that this was no better.He was alone in a complete darkness. A darkness so void that it made his skin crawl.  
  
“Hello?” He called, his heart was weighed down by the feeling of loneliness.  
  
Hello-ello-lo. His voice echoed of the invisible walls and he started to feel trapped. His breath caught in his throat as he started hyperventilating.  
  
Jack's mind started going a mile a minute, his thoughts consisting of very morbid endings to his situation.  
  
“Come on, Jack, remember.” Dr. Iplier’s voice reached and molded with Jack's, leaving him feeling even more alone.  
  
Closing his mind's eye, Jack tried to push past the barriers to no avail. Painfully absent time passed and Jack started to lose hope.  
  
Just as his spark left, he felt a second light reached through to him. He opened his eyes to find that he was being watched.  
  
“Hello?” He called again, praying that the new person was not an oasis his mind had created.  
  
“'ello.” The man waved and started to walked closer. “How are we feeling tozay?”  
  
As the newcomer neared, Jack was amazed to see that he looked just like him. “Uh…” he started to move back.  
  
“No, no, no. Do not move, my friend. I can help you through this.”  
  
“No offense, but I don't know who you are.”  
  
“Of course, my lad, of course. I am Dr. Shneeplestein.” He gave a small bow and looked back at Jack curiously.  
  
Jack looked at the stranger and saw that he was indeed garbed in a doctor's smock and his left ear was holding up half of his surgical mask.  
  
“Jack.”  
  
“Yes, my boy, I know who you are.”  
  
Jack became even more confused as he tried to remember if they had met. “How?”  
  
“Why, you are zee creator!” Shneeplestein was becoming as confused as Jack, if not more. “Do you truly not remember me?”  
  
Jack slowly shook his head. “I'm sorry, no.”  
  
Dr. Shneeplestein looked hurt as his shoulders fell. “Ah, I zee.” He took a deep breath and straightened his back. “Alright, Mr. McLoughlin. I am a certified doctah, let me hear your problems.”  
  
Jack found himself spilling out his heart to the doctor. Though he did not know him, he felt a trust that grew with every word.  
  
*****  
  
By the end of his story, Jack was overwhelmed by a peace that made the darkness less dreary.  
  
“My friend, I can indeed help you break down your walls. But it will cost you.”  
  
Jack tried to understand what the doctor was talking about. “What's the cost?”  
  
“In zee vorst case; your sanity.”  
Misery returned and Jack started weighing out his options. “Let's do it.”  
  
“Close your eyes, Jack.” The doctor said as he slowly lowered Jack back to the ground. “Deep breaths.”  
  
Jack closed his eyes, his back rigid on the cold floor. Closed eyes left his imagination with free reins.  
  
“Listen to my voice, Sean. Search your mind. Go past every memory you can remember. What is zee last thing you remember?”  
  
“I was getting on the plane.” Jack’s eyebrows furrowed. “Then, I got off.” He opened his eyes and looked at Shneeplestein, his eyes worried. “I have fake memories of my plane trip.”  
  
“Push past, Jack, find the truth behind zee lies.”  
  
Jack closed his eyes again, his mind flooded with discomfort. As he searched through the inconsistent memories, he saw that the old memories were becoming two-dimensional and gaining a rusty undertone.  
  
The memories faded and left a soft ringing. As Jack neared the source of the ringing, he found a mirror looking back at him.  
  
His surroundings formed and he saw that he was in the terminal leading to his plane.  
  
The reflection in the mirror beckoned for Jack; who obliged as if he were in a trance. The ringing filled Jack's mind and rattled his heart as he stood directly in front of the mirror.  
  
The reflection was Jack from a few years ago. His hair was once again an electric green. The only new part was the ruby red band around his neck. Curiosity filled Jack with determination and he watched as the reflection rested his hand against his side of the glass.  
  
Jack's ears were beginning to throb from the ringing but he managed to reach his hand towards the mirror and rested his hand on the glass, covering his counterpart's palm.  
  
The ringing dropped in pitch. The reflection smirked wickedly and his mouth started moving with the ringing. "It's me." The ringing changed into the reflections voice and Jack mind started to throb.  
  
Jack opened his eyes and saw that Dr. Shneeplestein was pale, well, paler than usual. Jack sat up and set a comforting hand on the good doctor's shoulder. "Hey, Shneep, you ok?"  
  
"It is vorse than I feared." The doctor looked at his patient as if he were on his death bed. "Jack, you've avoken Anti."  
  
Jack tried to comprehend what he had heard. "Who's Anti?"  
  
The doctor's mouth opened but no words came out. The world around Jack started to grow dimmer as he was pulled from his trance.  
  
"Jack! Jack!" Dr. Iplier was shaking Jack's shoulder violently. Jack opened his eyes wide and stared at the Doctor in shock. "Oh, good. I thought I lost you."  
  
"How long was I out?" Jack was overwhelmed by the bright lights and the lack of a German accent to comfort him.  
  
"Three hours." Dr. Iplier looked at the clipboard in his hand and shook his head. "What happened?"Jack shrugged, “I don't know.” he looked around the doctor's office, his heart pounding uncontrollably. “I don't know.”  
  
He was starting to lose his mind. _What happened to me? Why am I in this mess? Who is Anti? What does he have to do with me?_ Jack's heartbeat was getting faster and faster as he continued to freak out. “What is happening to me?!” He screamed at nothing.  
  
Dr. Iplier watched curiously from his chair. The human mind always fascinated him. “Listen, Jack.” He started speaking in his calming voice. “You are going to be ok-”  
  
“How do you know?” Jack's eyes were filled with a crazed look. “You don't even know what is happening to me, how could you possibly know that I'll be ok!”  
  
“Calm down or I'll make you calm down.” Dr. Iplier warned. Jack did not calm down, in fact, he became even more upset.  
  
The doctor shook his head, showing his disappointment. Standing up, he grabbed a syringe off of the table and sedated his crazed patient. “I did warn you.”


	4. Chapter 4

_ “Are you napping on the job?”   _ Jack’s eyes opened slowly and he stared at the dark ceiling above his head, mind racing as he recalled Dr. Plier sedating him.  Suddenly, as if he couldn’t control his own body, he sat up and came face-to-face with Mark. Except… No, it was another look-alike.  His skin was gray and two silhouettes flickered on either side of him, one blue, one red.

 

_ “Aw, Darky, did you get lonely while I was away?”   _ Jack realized the person speaking was him, and he could feel his own face contorting into an ugly grin.   _ “And here I thought you had the hots for your killer.” _

 

_ “Leave Wil out of this.”   _ The Mark double (Dark, apparently, which Jack scoffed at in his head) growled and his outline became fuzzier, which gave Jack a headache but only served to make the person in control of Jack’s body giggle.

 

_ “Your boy would sooner shoot me in the head than give me the time of day, Dark.  He’s safe, if only because I’m not sure I could match him.” _

 

_ “It would be interesting to see you try.  I still don’t know whether you can die or not.” _

 

_ “I don’t know either.  But!”  _ Jack’s body bounded to its feet and he tried everything he could think of to take back control.  Nthing worked, and Jack resigned himself to feeling like he was watching a movie from behind his own eyes.   _ “Enough chatter!  We have a job to do!” _

 

_ “And quickly, if only to get you out of my sight.”   _ Dark nodded to the door and the two walked out of what Jack could only describe as a dark room.   _ “You remember who we’re putting down, correct?” _

 

_ “Oh, have a little faith in me, Darky dear!”   _ Jack shuddered as the body pulled a knife out of thin air and twirled it around before sliding it menacingly over his own throat.   _ “I’ll gut him like the pig he is and no one will be the wiser!” _

 

_ “As long as I don’t have to remind you.  Your passenger down for the count as well?” _

 

_ “Snoozing away and thinking he’s editing a video back home.  You’re lucky you don’t share with the host, it is such a pain!”   _ The body kicked at the ground in frustration and Dark merely shrugged.

 

_ “What can I say?  But regardless, we must continue on with the job.  Come along.”  _ Dark snapped his fingers and the world wobbled around the two, melting away before realigning to reveal a large, elegant mansion, and they were standing just inside the front gate.

 

_ “Ladies first.”   _ Jack’s body teased, and Dark rolled his eyes, pulling a black cane with a diamond on top and resting part of his weight on it.

 

_ “Remember the plan.  We go in, slit the bastard’s throat, and get out.  I’m leaving the middle part to you because I would prefer to not get my hands or this suit dirty.” _

 

_ “Still as much a princess as ever!”   _ The body rubbed its hands together gleefully as it strolled up the walk towards the house.  The sudden sound of dogs barking would’ve made Jack jump if he were in control of his body, but it merely leaped over the two German Shepards charging towards it and sent them plowing into the gate, collapsing unconsciously from the force of the impact.

 

_ “Animal cruelty.”   _ Dark shook his head scoldingly.   _ “Really, Anti, that seemed so unecessary.” _

 

_ “Just showing off for you, honey bunch.”   _ Jack finally had a name to put to the person controlling his body.  ‘Anti’ seemed insane, laughing as Dark stepped warily around the sleeping dogs, and was running his fingers over the knife still locked tight in his grip.   _ “It’s time.” _

 

_ “Lead the way.”   _

 

The inside of the mansion was made of polished white marble, other than a couple splashes of color in the form of paintings hung on the walls.  Anti wandered through the first floor, making sure the mansion was empty, before he met up with Dark at the staircase. 

 

_ “He’s asleep upstairs.”   _ Dark stepped back and allowed Anti to slink up the stairs, feet stepping silently on the cold steps.  The two stopped in front of a large oak door and Dark turned to stare at Anti before the door swung open.  Anti stared back at Dark for a long moment before slipping into the shadows beyond the doorway. 

 

A large, four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room and Anti walked forward until Jack could see the face of the man sleeping in it.  He was heavy-set, with thready brown hair and frown lines deeper than the Grand Canyon. Anti giggled and the man jolted awake, his eyes going wide when he met Anti’s.

 

“No… Please!”

 

_ “Say goodbye.”   _ Anti raised the knife over his head and

  
  
  
  


Jack jolted awake, gasping for air and desperately trying not to burst into tears.  He was sprawled on Dr. Plier’s couch, an afghan thrown haphazardly over him. The doctor in question was leaning against the doorframe, staring at him with eyes hidden in shadows.

 

“Doctor!”  Jack gasped out, hauling himself off the bed and stumbling towards Dr. Plier, grabbing the hem of his coat in one shaking hand.  “What’s happening to me?”

 

“I don’t know.”  Dr. Plier stepped forward, taking Jack with him, and only once the shadows receded did Jack realize that Dr. Plier’s eyes were no longer brown, instead one was blood red and the other was an icy blue.  He stared at Jack as if he was an insect the Doctor was planning to crush beneath his heel. “But it’s awfully bad for business when my partner when he has to share a body with the likes of you.”

 

“D-dark.”  Jack stammered, staggering backwards and tripping against the couch, sprawling out.  “Get away from me.”

 

_ “What can you do to stop me?”   _ Dark snarled, the appearance of the doctor melting away to reveal the mirage in the rumpled suit.   _ “You’re nothing.”   _

 

“I can do this.”  Jack waited before he rolled off the couch and darted between Dark’s spread legs, listening to the thing hurl curses behind his back.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack had an amazing ability, one he didn't particular enjoy. You see, whether he was beating a level at a videogame or walking down the street, he could always count on something bad happening to him. Call it intuition, call it stupidity- either way, he was always falling into trouble.  
  
This time was no different. As he sat alone on the couch in the doctor's office, his wrists chained together behind his back, he felt as if this was just another problem among many.  
  
The door creaked open and Jack involuntarily jumped.  
  
“Are you ready to cooperate?”  
  
Jack glared at the man with the colorful silhouette and tried to loosen the chains. “I won't help you, Dark.”  
  
Dark smirked and shook his head. “On the contrary, Jacki, I know you will.” He walked over and got so close to Jack he could smell the death on him. “You see, I have an ally I'm sure you would love to meet.”  
  
Jack felt his face pale as he tried to move away from Dark. Dark’s face was almost close to touch noses with Jack. “This will be fun.”  
  
*****  
  
“Jack? What's wrong?” Mark opened his phone to see that his Irish friend was calling him unexpectedly.  
  
“Mark, I… I'm in Los Angeles and I need you to help me.” Jack's voice was shaky and Mark couldn't help but hear his fear across the call. “I'm afraid I'm in well over my head.”  
  
“Ok, where are you?” Mark looked at Tyler and Ethan and motioned to them to get ready to leave. “Wait… you're where?!”  
  
*****  
  
“No, no! Mark!” Jack yelled as the phone was pulled away from him.  
  
“Oh well… I'm afraid that is all the time that you have.” The man with the phone ended the call and wiggled the bright-pink mustache resting on his upper lip. “Did you get the help you require?”  
  
As he listened to the man in the pink pinstripe suit, the world around him started to swirl and slow. Soon, the man's slow, meandering voice was all that surrounded Jack.  
  
“No, of course I didn’t get the help I need! You pulled the bloody phone away from me!”  
  
“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm afraid that that makes the second part of our show!” The pink man turned to a camera next to Jack with a smirk.  
  
Jack looked around and saw that the odd shades of red continued all around the brightly lit room. In the room, there were numerous cameras facing in every direction possible. Jack looked at the camera next to him and grimaced. Using his peripherals, he could see that his face was being projected onto two large screens.  
  
He looked up at the screen and his hair fell into his eye. No matter how much he blew, the hair would not budge. Finally fed up, he tried to reach up and brush the hair away but was stopped abruptly. Looking down at his wrists, he saw that he was handcuffed to some sort of game show booth.  
  
He soon realized the fatal predicament he was in. “Why did you bring me here?”  
  
“Oh my goodness gracious, have we truly gone this far and left you behind in the dark?” The man clad in pink mockingly gaped at an invisible audience as loud music filled the room. “My friend, my fine Irish friend. You are currently competing in _Warfstache’s Wonderous Wins!_ ” The man turned back to Jack but looked at the camera instead. “I'm your host, Wilford Warfstache.”  
  
“You're a lunatic!” There was the sound of hundreds of people gasping as someone out of sight hit a cue button.  
  
“Oh, would you look at the time.” Again the mustache wiggled in a highly distracting way. “It's time for you to answer a question from the audience.”  
  
Jack looked around the empty studio. “What audience? There's no one-”  
  
Booing erupted.  
  
“Shut up, and listen to me.” Warfstache’s eyes shone with a hunger Jack couldn't help but fear. “What is my full name?”  
  
“You can't be serious.” Jack glared at the man. “I don't even know who you are!”  
  
Warfstache pulled a golden hand-pistol out of his pocket. “Well, I'm afraid that's the wrong answer.” He walked over to the booth and smiled, the mustache brushing his nose.  
  
Jack's face paled as he was left defenseless. “What are you doing?”  
  
The pink man’s smile continued and he rested the pistol against Jack's temple. “Better luck next time.”  
  
_Bang!_  
  
*****  
  
Mark looked at Tyler and barely noticed as the driver wiggled uncomfortably. “If Jack dies, I blame it on how slow you are driving.”  
  
“I'm already going 5 above, Mark, do you really want to pay for a speeding ticket? I don't.”  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes from the backseat. “Tyler, just go faster.”  
  
“You know what-” Tyler easily pulled over and got out of the driver's seat. “If you want to get a ticket, Mark, be my guest.”  
  
After a quick seat adjustment, Tyler was in the backseat and Ethan was holding on the the little pointless handle for dear life.  
  
“Where is he?” Mark handed his phone to Ethan and motioned to the small green dot on the map.  
  
After giving the street address, Ethan closed his eyes and silently prayed.  
  
There were squeals of tires and they were all pulled to the right. After a moment of silence, Mark's passengers realized that they had stopped.  
  
Mark looked out the front window and seemed surprised. “Hey, isn't this the warehouse were we filmed-”  
  
“A Date with Markiplier.” Ethan and Tyler said simultaneously.  
  
Mark looked at them. “This can't be good.” They shook their heads and they all cautiously got out of the car.  
  
Now outside, they could hear a heavy, carnival-istic fanfare. They stopped walking and listened.  
  
Mark reconized the song. “Wait isn't that-”  
  
“ _Warfstache's Wonderous Wins!_ ” The loud voice echoed with the music.  
  
“Oh no.” Mark ran to the door of the warehouse and pulled it open.  
  
Running left and right, he reached the double doors as a gunshot resinated all around him. He pulled over the doors and saw the odd screen in front of him. “Jack!!” He screamed and ran down to the stage.  
  
“Jack! Jack!”  
  
Jack opened his eyes and found that he was once again accompanied by the good doctor, Schneeplestein.  
  
“Why are you yelling?” The white of the room settled into his eyes and he tried to lose the feeling of sleep deprivation.  
  
“Oh, zis iz not good. Zis iz not good at all.” Shneep seems distracted as his hands moved expertly.  
  
“What's not good.”  
  
“I'm afraid, Jack, zat you might not make it.”  
  
Jack was about to interrogate the German doctor further when his eyes closed and he fell limp.  
  
*****  
  
Warfstache looked down at the gun in his hand and seemed surprised. In his ear, he could hear his partner in crime telling him to run away.  
  
Finally waking up, he ran off stage as his doppelganger screamed for his friend.  
  
Catching up to the dark figure, he sighed. “That was close.”  
  
Darkiplier nodded. “Far too close.”  



	6. Chapter 6

Mark reached into his back pocket and pulled the car keys out, tossing them to Ethan as he gathered Jack into his arms.

 

“Start the car.  Tyler, give him directions to the nearest hospital.”

 

“What are we gonna tell them?”  Tyler asked even as Ethan ran from the warehouse.  Mark’s grip on Jack slipped slightly and Tyler reached over to help Mark with the unconscious Irishman.  “Mark, you know Wilf and the kind of damage he can do.”

 

“Of course I do!”  The car screeched through the open warehouse door and Ethan threw the passenger door open, Tyler sliding inside as Mark maneuvered Jack into the backseat.  “Fine, then. What do you think we should do?”

 

“Amy and Kat have experience from your dumb stunts.  Maybe they’ll know.”

 

“I guess we can keep the hospital as a last resort…”  Mark muttered under his breath, but he was pretty sure all three of them were thinking the same thing as Tyler and Ethan caught his gaze in the rear-view mirror.  

 

_ ‘Please let Jack be okay.’ _

 

-

 

_ “How could you be so stupid?”   _ Dark hissed as he dragged Wilford along by the cuff of his sleeve.   _ “You knew they were coming for Jack as soon as you let him make that phone call.  You could’ve killed him at any time!” _

 

“That ain’t what you asked me to do.”  Wilford dug into his breast pocket and produced a vial of blood.  If Dark looked close enough, he could see tiny specks of black that seemed to swirl through the red liquid with conscious intent.  “See? This is what you asked me ta get!”

 

_ “Well, you accomplished that, at least.  Good job, I suppose.” _

 

“Sure!  We’re buddies, after all!”

 

_ “Okay, Warfstache.”   _ The insane game show host’s smile faded slightly and he bumped shoulders with Dark.

 

“Am I just a killer?”  He asked as Dark stared at him questioningly and the man-demon hybrid sighed and rolled his neck until it popped sickeningly.

 

_ “No.  You are my… Friend.” _

 

“Thanks, Dark.  Now let’s get this show on the road!”

 

-

 

Kat stared at Mark with her arms crossed and eyebrows trying to migrate into her hairline.  Behind her, Amy was hooking the Irishman up to an IV and heart monitor. 

 

“What did you do?”  Kat asked finally and Mark faked a look of offense.

 

“Why do you always think it’s me?”

 

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.”  Mark sighed and ran his hands through his hair fretfully.

 

“I guess… Technically, it’s my fault?  It was definitely Wil and Dark’s fault at any rate.”

 

“Yes, the gunshot wound made that painfully obvious.  What. Happened?”

 

“I don’t know.  We got a call from Jack and found Wil with a gun to the guy’s head and-”  Instead of finishing his sentence, Mark gestured behind Kat, who turned slightly to watch the heart monitor turn on, beeping sluggishly in time with Jack’s fighting heart.  “Can you help him?” 

 

“I’ve dealt with your crazy long enough.  Luckily, the bullet just grazed bone so Jack should be okay.  Unconscious, probably close to death, but he’ll live. Mark, what was he dragged into?”

 

“He’s been dabbling with ego stuff a long time.”  Mark muses, leaning forward and resting his chin on his linked hands.  “Almost as long as I have. And you remember how quickly Dark grew powerful.  His bad guy, ‘Anti’... What’s to say he isn’t testing his limits, too?”

 

“Oh, I think that should be obvious at this point.”  Kat looks at him like he’s an idiot and Amy comes in from Jack’s room, wiping the sweat on her forehead off on the back of her hand.  

 

“Okay, he’s settled.  Give it five, ten hours, and he should be awake.  But don’t try and move him, Mark. He may be alive, but he’s lucky.  I don’t know how Wil missed, but he did.”

 

“What do we do now?”  Ethan asks and Mark rolls his shoulders, listening to the joints pop in the thoughtful silence.  

 

“We wait for Jack to wake up.  And then we help him any way we can.  Because he’s our friend.”

 

-

 

_ “We’re here.”   _ Dark mumbles and pulls Wil into a decrepit warehouse by his obnoxiously pink bow tie.  He plucks the vial of Jack’s blood from thin air and points to a rusted medical cart loaded down with herbs and tools.   _ “The tools we need are waiting.” _

 

“Dark… Damien, Celine, are you sure this is going to work?”

 

_ “Trust us, Will.”   _ Dark smiles and goes to the cart, beginning to toss herbs and other… Ingredients into a cauldron, tossing a piece of red chalk to Wil, who dropped onto his rear, ignorant of any stains his striped pants would acquire.  

 

“Oh, I do, Dark.  Been with you too long to feel any other way, but still, this is… I don’t have words.”

 

_ “Good, then get to work.”   _ With a scowl, Wil pressed the chalk to the floor and began drawing.  

 

*****

 

The heart monitor next to the YouTuber spiked and fell as Jack’s heart desperately pumped extra blood to his body. The unconscious man’s face showed clear signs of exhaustion as he remained still hooked up to the life machines. 

 

Suddenly, the unexpected happened and Kat quickly ran over the Jack. “I don't know why, but his heart is failing.”

 

“I thought you said he would be fine!” Mark said and ran to his friend’s side. 

 

She glared at him for a moment, giving no thought to a response. She tried to help the victim's heart beat again. 

 

“Oh God, no.” Mark said as he tried to clear the sweat from Jack's forehead. “No, no!” He looked up at Kat and saw that her eyes were beginning to cloud over with defeat. “Is there nothing you can do?” 

 

She shook her head. “It's too late, Mark. I've already removed the bullet but there isn't much I can do now.” She looked down at the green haired Irishman as she leaned back, trying to calm her own heart. “It's up to him now.” 


End file.
